Tuesday, 13 September 2011

A Sip of Wine at Channapatna

TOI on 27^th Jul 2011, mentioned Winery Visit in one of its pages. Since Dad makes wines as a hobby it caught my attention. A quick call to them and we had the needed information.

It was decided that we will visit the place on Saturday and understand the process of wine making a little better.

The place is located close to Channapatna and is open to public between 11 and 4. The directions were very clear. We had to take the left just before Kadambam on Bangalore- Mysore Highway. There was also a sign board indicating the same. We had to drive about 4 kms more from here.

Though we took the left turn, what we didn’t know was that there was another left to be taken after 2 kms. The Yellow stone board had some alphabets missing and we passed it without noticing it. Another call to the winery and after asking around in the village close by, we were direct to the right place. A kilometer ride on a mud road led us to the winery. Suddenly in between the fields and mango groves, we found a huge, newly constructed structure.

We were first taken to the Guest House and shown a video on wine types and wine making. This is a video for about 15 mins and if you already know about wines then slightly boring. After that comes the winery visit. While the company currently makes only fortified wine (port wine), manufacturing of table wines are underway. The plan to release this in the markets in the next 6 months.

We went back to the guest house after this for wine tasting. We tasted the port wines and the red wine that they are yet to launch in the market. The wine tatsed so much better here than the ones we had bought in the retail shop and consumed. The secret we were informed was in date of manufacture. Though wines manufactured in

India

have a validity of 1 year, contrary to the popular belief of older the wine better it is, these need to be consumed as fresh as possible.

Tasting done we were ready to leave. We bought a bottle of wine and headed back to Bangalore. A stop at Kamat Lokaruchi for Lunch and our trip was complete.

A brief about the process

The wine manufacture here right now is forfeited wines. Grapes are bought in from Devanahalli and Chickabellapur region. It is then put in a crusher and stems are separated. We were told the grapes are not washed as the skin has yeast like deposits that help fermentation. The quality control team ensures that chemical is not used while growing grapes.

After t e crushing S2O (2-3 mpp per ton) is added and its sent off to ferment in huge stainless steel tanks. Its left undisturbed for 2-3 weeks, where the seeds and skin separate from the juice. The tank is hot to touch on the outside. This is due to the ongoing gases released during the fermentation process. From here the juice is tested and decision is made on the amount of sugar and alcohol (2-3%) that needs to be added. Post that its sent for filtration and then off it goes to be bottled, label and transported to distributors.

Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Kabini Explored

As always the case, it had been a while since my visit to the Jungles, my last trip there being the Brahmagiri Trek. So when a trip to Kabini JLR was suggested I quickly agreed. Luckily since it was a weekday the tents were available.

Left at 6 from Bangalore and other than for breakfast there were no stops or breaks in the journey. The last 12 Kms stretch to JLR was a nightmare to drive as the roads are very badly maintained.

But once I reached JLR itself all that was quickly forgotten and I was excited to be there. I had vague memories of Kabini JLR, from my visit here in my teens, but the property looked prettier than what I remembered.

Since I was hungry, quickly dumped my bags and headed for lunch. The food like in all JLR properties was awesome, simple and tasty. After tucking in more than the usual amount of food, I was ready to explore JLR.

The gardens were in bloom and this gave me a chance to capture butterflies, spiders and bees.

Time seemed to have passed really quickly and soon it was safari time.

With great expectation we boarded the jeeps. Of course the hope is always there that we get to see the cats, but I had also requested for stops when any bird was spotted. I didn’t know then that the naturalist in the jeep (Shivanand) was a great spotter and knew names of birds and animals.

Encounters with wildlife started right in JLR, the gardeners handed over snakes in a bottle to be left in the forest. Shivanand pointed out birds as the jeep drove past them

Once in the reserve Spotted Deer/Chitals and Langurs were plenty, there was a lone guar near a watering hole who posed for a while. Then there was an elephant that crossed the road. As we drove along, another jeep from the forest department mentioned spotting a Leopard going for a drink at GK bunk. We quickly headed in that direction, drove around for sometime, but with no luck. The other spotting that evening was another lone female elephant and sambar.

Back in the resort, hot pakodas and coffee gave me company as I read a book. Dinner was again very good and I ate more than my share.

The safari next day started at 6:15, initial sightings were only birds, but as we got closer to water we got to see some elephants and strip necked mongoose.

The highlight of that safari was seeing the Crested Hawk Eagle at close quarters. It was a beautiful bird that let us watch him for good 5 mins. The other bird I was excited about was the pygmy woodpecker. It was so small it mistook it was a warbler till Shivanand pointed it out.

Back from the safari took a short boat ride and once done with breakfast, I was ready to leave. Since the sun was out there were a lot of butterflies around so spent time chasing them. And then I was back on the road to Bangalore. So ended a peaceful trip into the wild.

Thursday, 28 July 2011

Most Memorable from Ladhak

Though the whole trip is unforgettable, these will continue to be the some of the most memorable events.

Ever Changing Landscapes

Right from the beginning of the trip the landscapes keep changing. Every 20 Kms or so, there is something new to look out for. Be it the shape of the mountains, the sudden change in colours, snow-capped mountains, the plains, cultivation between barren mountains, view of rivers, sand dunes. It’s hard to put down the camera. This is one of the reasons that the drive doesn’t get boring. My personal favourites drives are the Pangong to Hanley, Darchu to Sarachu, Leh to Nubra Valley

The Feel of Snow

For the first time in my life I experienced snow at Kardungla. Trying to get flakes on my hand and feel snow was fun. The Black tea served by the Army helped warm me up in that cold hour. It was also interesting to see the design formed by ice on the older snow piles

Tsokar Lake

The mountains surrounding it, the color of water, salt on the shore, gentle waves created by the wind, almost no people around, all this make it truly awesome. The other reason that I like this lake is due to the number of bird calls I heard. Though the final decision was against over night stay, after seeing the place I wished I had stayed. There are other lakes around Leh but this one has very few places to stay at and therefore the crowd is lesser.

People

When I travelled to Ladhak, I was not sure what to expect from the people here. Would this place be like the other tourist places where people are out to make money or will I have experiences that will truly touch my heart

I had a share of both, more of the latter. 4 people who really made a difference are

Mr Akbar (nabilay@yahoo.com), he was someone who helped us get permits and organized our trip in Leh. He ensure that we go a good place to stay at and our trip was memorable. The rates for taxi and hotels were lots cheaper than what others had offered us. While most people hadn’t heard of places like Warli and Hanley. He ensured we got permits to go there.

Our driver during the journey around Ladhak. He was someone who knew the place well, never complained when asked to stop zillion times to take pictures and was giving us advice that helped us avoid being hungry and thirsty during our long drives. I missed him during our trip to Srinagar as that driver was cranky and painful.

My hosts at Rainbow Guest House. This is a family run guest house, with clean and reasonable rooms. Fresh, home-cooked vegetarian food is served based on order. What makes this special is the ladies who run the place. They are always smiling and welcoming. Even though there were restaurants close by at the end of the day I would be back here for my meals.

Mr. Shaban, owner of Shera Palace Houseboat in Srinagar. Though I initially met him to stay in his boathouse, on request he ensure my whole trip in Srinagar was taken care off. When I didn’t find an auto on the first day, he was willing to come and pick me up. Very rarely I have come across people willing to go that extent.

War Memorials

Since the region borders with 2 other nations and our relations with them aren’t the best, there are many war memorials around (Chushul War Memorial, Rezang La War Memorial, Zozila War Memorial and Kargil War Memorial). Each tell a story of bravery and sacrifice by our soldiers, the extreme conditions in which the war was fought. While each one is worth a visit to pay respect to the brave men,

Kargil War Memorial gives one details of the war, how the battle was won, weapons used, names of the soldiers and extract from their dairies. I found this to be a humbling experience. Nothing I have done so far come close to the sacrifice these men did.

Shera Palace Houseboat

This is boat house on Dal Lake (Sulehman Ghat, Nehru Park) in Srinagar. This was the first time on a houseboat for me. Riding the Shikar for the first time was scary as it wobbled. I was sure my luggage and I would be in the lake before I got to the houseboat (I was convinced otherwise after a demo by the boat man). Coming back to the boat house, It truly looked like a palace. Carpeted all the way, chandeliers hanging in most rooms and antique looking furniture it was beautiful. The old caretaker (Chacha I called him) added to the charm. He made some awesome Kashmiri Gustaba and Kawa. I could spend days sitting at the deck and watching the shikara going by.

Srinagar Airport

When I was trying to identify travel agents to help plan my Leh trip, one of them suggested that I reach the airport 2 hours early. I thought he was joking, but then everybody else gave me the same suggestion. It was only when I got there I realized why. Since Kashmir is a sensitive region the security check are 4 folds. The baggage goes through 3 rounds of checking. Since it’s a small airport and all flights take off around the same time it gets very crowded. With all the security checks and people breaking the lines it gets disorganized. I stood in queue for 45 mins just to get into the airport and another queue for 15 mins just to get a seal on my camera bag. Thanks to all the advice received I didn’t miss my flight

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Welcoming Monsoons in Kemmangundi

It’s a known fact among friends that I don’t like monsoon treks due to the increase in leech population and the fact that I believe if I have walked all the way to the top of a mountain or hill I should be able to see a view and not cloud cover.

So when Kemmangundi trek was announced in office I was eager to go and for this I was willing to for-go attending a wedding in Coorg (to be read as good food and pandi curry).

30 people on the trek meant a nightmare when it comes to coordination, by the time everyone assembled and the briefing was done it was close to 12. Though the first few hours were spent playing antakshari slowly heads started nodding and soon almost everybody had dozed off.

The next time I open my eyes we were at Kalhatti Falls, the starting point for our trek. As the day was just breaking, one could hear the Malabar Whistling Thrush at a distance and other birds chirping along, a perfect start for the day. While the experienced trekkers cooked breakfast, the rest of us walked around exploring the temples and the falls near by.

Since we didn’t have plates, leaves were used and breakfast was served on it. Soon after we were ready to start.

The initial trek was along a stream and through coffee estates

and if one kept a look out he could pick wild berries and fruits. Of course, one would think twice before waiting for long as there were leeches everywhere. We had light showers along the way but that didn't hamper our spirits. In about 2 hours we had reached the mid point for our trek, Manakiadhar Falls. The falls was a sight for sore eyes.

One could only imagine how it would look in peak monsoon. While some took a dip, rest sat around to regain energy. After a quick lunch of Chappati, jam, chutney pudi, pickle and mixture we were ready for the next stretch. This was an 85 degree climb and most of us struggled all the way. But when we reached the peak, we realized that the climb was worth it. The landscape was beautiful.

Clouds playing hide and seek, rain pouring down at the distance, paddy-fields elsewhere, sunlight on a distant hill, words can hardly describe the view.

After a short break, we headed to the anti poaching camp to pitch tents. (One has to take prior permission to camp here as it’s a part of Bhadra Reserve Forest. We didn’t know and had to pay a fine of Rs 200 per person) .

Once here while most of us lazed around the organizers and the experienced trekkers went about making tea and dinner.

Finally, we were done at 10 and tiring day meant that the night passed very quickly. While some of us had a peaceful night inside our sleeping bags, the rest found the night to be very cold and hadn’t slept.

The day started with some hot tea and Lemon rice. At about 10 am we were ready to head back. We scaled the hills a little more to reach the ridge.

After that it was a downhill walk towards Z point in Kemmangundi. The rain made the climb down slippery but most of us managed it with just one causality. It was late afternoon when we reached Kemmangundi and so the plan to visit Hebbe Falls was dropped. We ate lundin (Lunch and Dinner) at a Dabba near Kadur and headed back to Bangalore.

Pointers: This trek can be completed in a day and Hebbe Falls can be planned for the next day, but the stay on the top makes the whole experience more beautiful

More Pictures of the trek in the link below

https://picasaweb.google.com/belliappaaishwarya/Kemmangundi#

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

An Overnight at Srirangapatna Part 2

The start of the morning turned out to be wet and cool due to the rains and very soon turned hot and humid. The day was reserved for exploring Off –beat places in Srirangapatna. After breakfast at Pegasus we checked out and went to meet Vinay , he is from Royal Mysore Walk and was taking us around.

We started with Paschima Vahini Ghat.

Though I had passed this place many times on the way to Coorg, this was the first time I had visited it. This is supposed to be the place where one of the tributaries of River Kaveri flows in a different direction as opposed to the main river. This is considered extremely auspicious and ashes of many great personalities like M.K Gandhi have been immersed here.

The next stop was the flag post close to the Mysore gate, this is the highest point in Srirangapatna and one gets a 360 view of the town from here.

This is also next to Tipu’s rocket manufacturing and testing unit which is now used as the sewage control unit for the town.

Vinay managed to connect different occurrences in history with what was happening in Srirangapatna and hence the narration became even more interesting. He also had old maps and pictures that made imagining the events easy.

From here we headed to the Chola temple situated behind the Lal Mahal.

It is said that since people climb the Gopura (Tower at the entrance of temples) of the temple and peeked into the palace, it was taken down.

The priest at the temple have been there for 10 generations and the records of Vijaynagar Empire contains instructions on the amount of groceries that needs to be provided to the priest here. One can find this detail written on a tablet in the temple. Photography is not allowed inside the temple and it closes at 10:30 am

A small drive from here was our next stop, old railway station office.

First look at it one is transformed to Malgudi Days. The pillars in this place are from the Mysore Palace. When the wooden palace was burned down the salvaged pillars and doors were donated. Since it was considered inauspicious to keep remains of a burnt palace, there were few takers and hence they landed up here. With the laying of double track between Bangalore and Mysore this building will soon disappear. I hope this time as well they are willing to donate the pillars; I would love to take 2

Close to the station is the weapon storage unit (Gun room) used by Tipu Sultan.

This is also something that will be gone when the tracks for Bangalore Mysore is laid.

After exploring this part of town we headed to the Obelisk.

This is situated close to dungeon and gives you a beautiful view of the river from the tip of the fort. The Obelisk is built in memory of the British Officers and units who died during the siege of Srirangapatna on 4th May 1799. There is also a theory that the breach of the fort happened here as opposed to near the water tank. Close to this place there is a wearhouse which used to be a hospital built by the British.

From here we headed to the water tank, the last stop for our 2 hours guided trip. This is close to the place where Tipu’s Body was found and one of the stories about the breach indicates that it happened here. The trip ended with Vinay talking about the dying Sultan and the end of an era.

Early breakfast meant that we were hungry by the time our tour ended. We headed to a roadside restaurant towards Mysore called Poojari’s Fishland. This is definitely a place I would recommend to fish lovers. The food was yummmm and really fresh. After stuffing ourselves, it was time to head back to Bangalore and it turned out to be about 5 hours journey.

Pictures

https://picasaweb.google.com/belliappaaishwarya/Srirangapatna#

An Overnight at Srirangapatna - Part 1

It all started with plans for girls day out, friends planning to catch up sans husbands. But then the plan sounded so good that the hubbies joined in as well.

Long Weekend meant that we had very few places to choose from. After some failed attempts to find accommodation in the popular holiday destinations we decided to do an overnight at Srirangapatna.

We read about a place called Pegasus Art Bistro and decided to give it a try. (Of course beggars can’t be choosers).

Though we left at about 8:30 am, due to holiday traffic we took 5.5 hours to cover the distance of 120 Kms. Tired and hungry we finally reached Pegasus.

The rooms at Pegasus were nice looking and the creeprs growing on the roof and around gave it a pretty look.

The rooms had abstract painting done by the owner’s late husband and made it cozy.

While we settled our lunch was being cooked. Luckily the host is a good cook and we got some tasty European Food. The long journey and heavy lunch has made us sleep. While some wanted to rest, Akshata , Kavisha and me decided to visit Ranganatitu. By the time we got there it was almost closing time.

Unfortunately for us since it was the last ride for the day, the guide/boatman looked disinterested and didn’t point out birds.

Seeing us with bird book, binoculars and camera people on the boat, kept point birds and asking for names. Luckily for us they were the popular birds and we could easily identify them.

The only time he mentioned the bird was when we saw a Night Heron and started looking at the field guide to identify it. That’s when we realized that he knew the birds that were around. The ride was over in less than 10 mins and for a longer ride we were asked to book the 1000 Rs Boat Ride. We decided to do that some other day. After walking around the shore for a while we headed back to the home-stay

Just as we settled in at the home-stay the sky opened and we had a downpour that lasted through the night. The night’s stay was uncomfortable due to the leaks the rains caused. Everything around had a wet feeling. Though we were tired the night turned out to be a sleepless one.

The owner recognized this and charged us less for the stay. She mentioned that the leak was due the fact that the tiles had just been laid and they had not yet faced a rain to identify leaks

Pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/belliappaaishwarya/Srirangapatna#

Information:

The resort is situated on Mysore By Pass (Yelwal Road). The road is pretty bad especially the stretch close to KRS dam turn on.

The Bird Sanctuary opens at 7:00 am and one can hire a boat for 1000 Rs and get a 30 mins ride. If you are a birder I think that this would be a better option than the regular rides

List of Birds Seen

House Crow
Jungle Crow
Black Kite
Brahminy Kite
Black Ibis
Black Headed Ibis
Painted Stork
Open Billed Stock
Night Heron
Pond Heron
Rock Pigeon
Spotted Dove
Pied Wagtail
Jungle Babbler
White Cheeked Barbet
Rose Ringed Parakeet
Common Tailor Bird
Pale Billed Flower Pecker
Crimson Rumped Sunbird
Common Iora
Darter
Little commorents
Eurasian Spoon Bill
Common Flame Backed
White Browed Fantail
Spotted Owel
Red Vented Bulbul
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Indian Robin
Pied Bushchat
River Tern
White Breasted Kingfisher
Stock Billed Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Common Myna
Jungle Myna
Hopper
Baya Weaver Bird
Little Minivet
Magpie Robin
Swallow (too far off to ID)

Thursday, 3 March 2011

Brahmagiri Revisted

Brahmagiri has always been close to my heart, maybe because it’s in my homeland. The last time I attempted this climb one of my friends got bitten by a snake. We had to return from Narimalla.

This time I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I would reach the peak. Based on the driver’s suggestion we decided to drive through Nagarhole Reserve Forset. This meant that we had to wait till 6 am for the forest gates to open. Since we reached there at 3, most of us caught up on our 40 winks. As it neared 6 vehicles started piling up.

Since we were the second vehicle to pass, we hoped to spot some wildlife.Unfortunately the only wildlife we saw other than cheetals

were some wild boars and a fox. The next stop was at the forest office in Srimangala to get permission. This took a while as we had to wait for the officers to come by. Our first meal for the day was supposed to be at this tiny restaurant/schack, but by the time we reached there we were told that all breakfast items were over. We had to make do with bread and coffee.

At Irrupu Falls our guide was waiting. He was the same person who was with us the last time we attempted the climb and remembered us only too well. We filled our water bottles at the falls and started the trek.

The initial 3 kms was through the forest and we didn’t feel the harsh rays of the sun on us. Since I was out of form, the climb was tiring and I took multiple breaks. Most of the streams along the way had dried, an indication of the summer creeping in. Once in the grassland, fortunately there was cloud cover and we didn’t get burnt.

By the time we reached the camp site (Narimalla, forest guest house) it was 12:30 pm. We decided to take an hour’s break for lunch and then head out again. Lunch was some yummy gojju and chappati. 30 mins of rest and we were on the move. Most of the trek was supposed to be through flat grassland from here. Midway we spotted a bunch of Nilgiri Langur and spent time taking pictures and observing them.

After about an hour of walking, we were at the base of Brahmagiri. The climb looked steep and once we started our ascend we realized how steep it was.

I had to use my hands as well to climb. This stretch of 1 kms took about 45 mins to climb. The view from the peak was breathtaking. How I wished that the hills were green instead of the brown though.

After some photo sessions we headed back. The descent was as tough as the climb, with some of us sliding down to avoid major fall.

As we neared narimalla, there was a sound of hoofs, before anyone could react we saw a Sambar running in fear. Excited we waited for a while to see what had caused the animal to run like that, but there were no signs of anything. Disappointed we continue walking.

By about 6 pm we were back at the campsite.

Some of us went to the stream nearby to freshen up, while I heard dogs bark, lucky few saw a pack wild dogs run across the stream. This was topic of discussion for sometime and kept us occupied.

Soon the boys went about cooking dinner, while the girls learnt how to Jive from Abhi. It was 9 when we started the campfire and ate dinner (Upma and Payasm). We sat around for a while chatting and then decided to sleep. The other group, which was awake for longer, was noisy and at some point few from our gang had to go out and warn them. Other than that the night was uneventful.

The plan next day was to trek Narimalla, but by the time we got up and had breakfast, most of us didn’t want to climb, so we decided that we would head to the waterfall near by and spend some time there. After that we headed back to Irrupu Falls and from there to Bangalore.

As we drove through the national park again we saw, langurs, Gaur, cheetals and Malabar Squirrels. We stopped at Hunsur for a late lunch and reached Bangalore by 8 pm. With that my dream trek to Brahmagiri could be ticked off my list.

Unknown Tracks